New Perspective on Paul and the Jews Academic Seminar

I have just been alerted concerning the Interdisciplinary Academic Seminar on New Perspective on Paul and the Jews that was recently held from Sept 12-14 at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. This seminar is part of the Research Project on Paul and the Jews.

The conference was organised around 8 topics as follows:

1. What nomenclatures best represent the Judaism that Paul was in dialogue with: covenantal nomism, variegated nomism, ethical monotheism, etc.? What are the notions of covenant or works-righteousness that lie behind the use of these terms?
2. Is covenant a central notion in Paul? What are the merits of a semantic domain linkage between diatheke and dikaiosyne? Can one argue for an embedded covenantal framework in Paul’s thought? If so, does this framework supersede the Mosaic covenant (cp. 2 Cor 3:7-18)?
3. What is the relationship between creation and covenant in Paul’s thinking, specifically the motif of kaine diatheke and kaine ktisis (2 Cor 3 and 5 respectively)?
4. Does Paul move away from an Israel kata sarka to a notion of Israel kata pneuma? Is the new reality the ekklesia tou theou? Is this church part of, or distinct from, Israel?
5. Was Paul Torah-observant? Did Paul’s Christ transcend the Law, embody it or something else? Is Paul in continuity or discontinuity with the prophetic reading of the Law? Is Paul an interpreter or manipulator of Israel’s scriptures?
6. What is the relationship between Pauline studies and Jewish-Christian dialogue? Should Pauline studies take into account the post-Shoah context of contemporary ecumenical and interreligious dialogue between Christians and Jews?
7. Are the classical interreligious and soteriological models of exclusivism, inclusivism and pluralism acceptable or useful for Christian/Jewish dialogue? How do they relate to the typical dialogical positions of single and double covenant schemes? What is the best way forward?
8. Are the religious ends of Christianity and Judaism compatible? Is the church in mission with or in mission to the Jews? How should this apparent tension be portrayed in homiletics, liturgy, catechetics, etc?

My doctoral supervisor, Dr Bill Campbell (pictured above), presented a paper on "Covenant, Creation and Transformation in Paul." All papers presented at the conference are now made available online:

• Michael Bachmann (Germany)
• Michael Bird (UK)
• Thomas Blanton IV (USA)
• William Campbell (UK)
• Philip Cunningham (USA)
• Hans Hermann Henrix (Germany)
• Daniel Langton (UK)
• Mark Nanos (USA)
• John Pawlikowski (USA)
• Hans-Joachim Sander (Austria)
  

With such a prestigious panel of speakers, one can be sure of a very exciting exchange and dialogue. For me, reading the papers will be my diet for the next couple of days.